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Carus asks followers to ‘Imagine a day without water’

Carus employees tour Tangled Roots Brewing Co. in Ottawa as a kick-off to Imagine a Day Without Water.

Can you imagine a day without water? It’s a question Carus Corporation in partnership with organizations, experts and officials across the country is asking the world.

Organized by the Value of Water Coalition, Imagine a Day Without Water, is an awareness campaign focused on the state of our nation’s water infrastructure and the crucial need for investment in drinking water and wastewater systems.

Carus’ participation will take place primarily via a social media campaign the company launched earlier this month, with posts on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook that draw attention to the importance of water. They are also having some fun with the message by asking followers to imagine a day without beer.

“It typically takes about six barrels of water to make one barrel of beer, a number that we are constantly looking to reduce,” said Keith Pearse, co-founder and CEO of Tangled Roots Brewing Co. (TRBC). The craft brewery, located in Ottawa, is owned by Carus’ Chairman Inga Carus and her husband, Peter Limberger. To kick off the campaign, a team of employees gathered at the Lone Buffalo Brew Pub to tour the Tangled Roots brewery and learn about the importance of water in creating TRBC’s craft brews.

“When imagining a day without water, it is easy to think about not turning on the tap, skipping laundry or not watering the garden,” said Carus’ Carlos Hevia, who is leading the company’s participation in the awareness campaign. “But water impacts so much more — from the produce you buy, to just about every beverage in your refrigerator. It’s easy to take water for granted. Most people don’t fully understand the complex systems, the chemistry and engineering that go into providing safe water to our communities.”

Carus employees are well aware of what it takes to provide safe water. About 85 percent of the Carus products manufactured in LaSalle are used for water treatment. Additionally, Carus’ manufacturing process is powered mainly by water.

“We operate on steam,” said Tom Moshage, senior project engineer at Carus. “We’ve undertaken a massive conservation project in recent years to recycle water in our plant, saving millions of gallons of water each year. Still, without water, we could not operate, and hundreds of people in LaSalle, Peru and elsewhere would be without work. It’s one reason we can’t imagine a day without water.”

“We’re thrilled that Carus has joined Imagine a Day Without Water. This national day of action is educating public officials and engaging citizens about the essential role water plays in our lives, and the threat that aging and underfunded water infrastructure poses to our communities and economy,” said Radhika Fox, CEO of the U.S. Water Alliance and director of the Value of Water Coalition.